Polycom Announces Industry's First Green Services To Reduce Carbon Emissions Through Visual Communications

Programme Helps Organisations Optimise Networks, Implement and Track Video Usage vis-a-vis Carbon Reductions

SLOUGH, UK - 22 Apr 2008 : Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM), the leader in unified collaborative communications solutions, today announced the collaboration industry's first green services programme, 'Going Green with Polycom'. 'Going Green with Polycom' is a three-step programme offered through authorised Polycom channel partners that provides companies with Video Readiness, Green Rollout Planning and Implementation, and Tracking and Measurement programmes. The programme utilises a comprehensive methodology to help organisations reduce their carbon emissions through increased usage of video applications as an alternative to travel.

Perfect Storm of Economic, Environmental & Tech Conditions Build Video Demand

The unprecedented market growth for visual communications and its associated services including telepresence, is the natural outgrowth of the collision of economic, environmental and technical factors. Globalisation has led to the rise of outsourcing, strategic partnering, and the mobile workforce, making timely communications among dispersed employees, customers, partners and vendors increasingly important. At the same time economic uncertainty is high, travel is increasingly inconvenient and costly, and global warming is threatening the planet. Finally, technology has reduced the need for travel thanks to bandwidth-rich IP networks that enable reliable, high definition video communications for desktops, conference rooms and telepresence suites.  Companies using video to reduce travel benefit in multiple ways: from maximised productivity and faster time to market, to reduced operating expenses and carbon emissions.

Going Green With Polycom – Innovative New Programme to Meet Demand

Polycom's innovative new 'Going Green with Polycom' programme meets this growing demand by offering implementation and optimised video usage to reduce travel and improve the environment.

The comprehensive programme includes:

• Video Readiness 

This service benchmarks service quality, operational efficiency in terms of capacity and resources, and the business benefits resulting from maximum user adoption and experience. This service also helps identify the applications and workflows that are ideal for video, as well as how to optimise conferencing operations.

• Planning Rollout and Implementation or the "Green Assessment Service"

This service establishes a direct link between effective use of video conferencing and reductions in carbon emissions. The service first establishes the role and potential for video conferencing to support overall organisational environmental objectives. Consultants then proceed to examine the current utilisation of conferencing and travel patterns to develop effective programmes designed to increase the environmentally responsible use of video conferencing technology in existing and new applications.

• Tracking and Measurement

An application called Video-Miles® from Polycom ARENA partner The Visual Environment, can be licensed for each registered endpoint. The unique software monitors and measures every video conference by automatically and accurately calculating the number of travel miles, the amount of carbon saved, detailed ROI from travel cost savings, as well as the ability to target, drive, measure and monitor system utilisation. Results are tracked and available at the click of a mouse in a variety of on-demand reports.

The Visual Environment reports customers experience increases in system utilization of more than 20 percent, increased travel cost savings of more than 30 percent, and carbon savings growing at 25 percent per quarter using Video-Miles. "Decision-making information about video is now available – instantly," said Calum Miller, co-founder and partner, The Visual Environment. "Our customers like the fact that, for the first time ever, our software lets them be in control of their video conferencing investment and they have the ability to drive what they now class as a valuable asset."

"'Going Green with Polycom' is a new addition to Polycom's suite of Professional Services offerings," said Geno Alissi, general manager and senior vice president of Polycom Global Services. "Polycom and its partners offer the broadest service and support programmes for collaboration and communication in the industry. No one knows more about how to implement collaborative communications solutions into a Unified Communications network than Polycom and its authorised channel partners."

Pricing and Availability
The 'Going Green with Polycom' portfolio of services are available today through Polycom authorised channels. They may be purchased individually or together. Pricing is dependent upon the number of endpoints and locations with prices ranging from an MSRP of US$20,000 to an MSRP of US$70,000.

Webinar 'Going Green with Polycom'
Today, Polycom will also host a webinar at 15:00 BST/16:00 CET where you can find out what companies can do with the right collaboration tools to support this environmental movement, reduce their carbon footprint and achieve improved productivity and efficiency at the same time. Please register via the following link: https://cossprereg.btci.com/prereg/key.process?key=P9TGM3TAQ

Links to additional information:
» Polycom's Commitment to Global Sustainability
» Polycom Global Services       
» The Visual Environment – Video-Miles 

About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. is the worldwide leader in unified collaborative communications (UCC) that maximise the efficiency and productivity of people and organisations. Polycom delivers the broadest array of high definition telepresence video, wired and wireless voice, and content solutions so people can enjoy the best communications, whether from a real-time collaborative interaction or on-demand streamed video experience. Spanning from the desktop to the industry's only immersive telepresence suite, Polycom's high quality collaboration and communications solutions are easy to deploy and manage, as well as intuitive to use. Based on open standards, they integrate seamlessly with leading telephony and presence-based networks. With innovative market-driving technologies, a compelling vision for next generation visual communications, best-in-class products, alliance partnerships, and world-class service, Polycom is the smart choice for organisations to gain a competitive advantage with proven and trusted communication solutions.  For additional information visit the Polycom web site at www.polycom.com.

Polycom and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2008, Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Contacts

• Angelika Kempf
  Polycom
  Tel: +49 811 999 4218
  angelika.kempf@polycom.com